Deadliest Catch gives fans a chance to experience life as a crab in VR

While life isn’t easy aboard the fishing vessels featured on Discovery Channel’s Deadliest Catch, many fans of the show are still eager for a closer look at exactly what the boats look like in action. Thanks to VR, those fans are getting their wish, though it may not be from the point of view they expected.

“Experience Life as a Crab on the Wizard” delivers exactly what the title promises, placing viewers in the middle of a pile of crabs while the crew sorts them. Wizard captain Keith Colburn narrates the experience, giving viewers an idea of what exactly is happening around them.

This is only the first in a series of VR experiences to be released during this season of the long-running series. Three more will be added with the first coming on April 29, while the other two content offerings are set to be released sometime in May. These will include a look inside the captain’s wheelhouse, a look at the deck as the crab pots are secured, and a peek at a conversation with the crew.

Each of these experiences was shot over the winter on either The Wizard or the Brenna A — a newcomer to the series as of this season. A weatherproof 6-camera GoPro VR setup was used, but while the results seem impressive, it wasn’t a cakewalk for the camera crew.

“We have certainly had our challenges with camera rigs breaking and incorrect set ups, but I think the most challenging thing when working with these on the boats is having them right in the action,” the series’ director of photography David Reichart told the Hollywood Reporter. Plans for next year are even bigger still. “We now are even working to get some shots underwater. Next year we will take what we have learned this year to do a much bigger VR effort,” he said.